


Down Memory Lane

by heyitscmei



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: ? - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Earth, Kinda, M/M, Memories, Reminiscing, Sheithlentines, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Valentine's Day Fluff, Vignette, minor hance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 08:29:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9713414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyitscmei/pseuds/heyitscmei
Summary: He notices the photo taped to the wall behind the faucet when he reaches for the tap and, after quickly rinsing his plate, he reaches for it. He’s not sure what compels him to do so, but he chalks it up to it being a peculiar place to display a photo.It’s one of many pictures of Shiro and himself and Keith wonders when Shiro went to get it developed. He thinks that maybe he should check their latest photo album and see if Shiro added anything new.Or, the one where Keith remembers some of his favourite memories with Shiro and falls in love all over again.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Sheithlentines!! This is part of my gift for [Soap](https://twitter.com/SoapySheep)! I hope you like it!!!
> 
> Thanks for the quick beta [Robert](https://twitter.com/caustically)!!
> 
> Part 2 of the gift can be found [here](http://heyitscmei.tumblr.com/post/157245059466/part-2-of-my-gift-for-soapysheeps-happy) and [here](https://twitter.com/heyitscmei/status/831600006196973569)

When Keith wakes up, it’s to movement next to him on the bed and feather light kisses being pressed to his forehead.

“-Kashi?” He mumbles sleepily.

“Morning, Sunshine,” Shiro murmurs, dropping a kiss to Keith’s lips.

“Wh’ time s’it?” Keith slurs, rolling onto his side to look at the bedside table. As it is, Shiro is in the way so he ends up squinting at the bare skin of Shiro’s shoulder where he’s settled back down next to him.

“About noon,” Shiro replies, brushing back wayward strands of Keith’s hair. “I have to go out and take care of something. We had a late night last night so you should go back to sleep. I’ll be back this evening and we can have a date night, yeah?”

Keith hums, the idea of more sleep sounding incredibly appealing. The promise of a date night? Even better. He falls back to sleep to the sounds of Shiro getting ready to go, smiling into the blankets, quietly amused, when he hears the soft thud of Shiro stubbing his toe and muffled cursing.

He wakes up again later, but not much. Initially, Keith is confused by the emptiness of the bed, but he vaguely recalls Shiro waking him up earlier. He rolls out of bed and pads out into the hallway towards the kitchen.

When he notices a plate waiting for him on the table beside a single red rose and a bottle of syrup, he feels suspicion and fondness warring in his mind. He takes a moment to check for any damage anywhere. The kitchen looks pristine, though, and that settles the suspicion, making way for the sappy, gooey feeling that’s seeping into his bones.

The pancake hearts have chocolate chips, are lopsided and slightly undercooked. They’re delicious.

He picks up the rose and brings it to the sink along with his empty plate, wondering if they have a vase that he can put it in. He notices the photo taped to the wall behind the faucet when he reaches for the tap and, after quickly rinsing his plate, he reaches for it. He’s not sure what compels him to do so, but he chalks it up to it being a peculiar place to display a photo.

It’s one of many pictures of Shiro and himself and Keith wonders when Shiro went to get it developed. He thinks that maybe he should check their latest photo album and see if Shiro added anything new.

This photo in particular is of the two of them watching the fireworks and they resemble nothing more than silhouettes side by side against a starry sky awash with reds, purples, yellows, blues. It brings him back to a time where Shiro’s arm had been warm around him, even though he had been the one using Keith as a human space heater.

 _“I think that one was supposed to be a heart,”_ Shiro had murmured.

_“Really? I don’t see it.”_

_“Yeah, c’mere and look!”_

Shiro had tugged him close and pointed at the sky, even as the bright light faded to smoke.

 _“If you wanted to leech off of my warmth so badly, you didn’t have to rely on made up hearts in the sky,”_ Keith had teased.

_“Maybe I just wanted to hold you.”_

_“You don’t need hearts in the sky for that either, though.”_

_“You’re right. Only heart I need is yours.”_

He’d flashed the brightest smile even as Keith had groaned at him. Keith had made sure to wipe that smile off his face, pulling him down into a kiss.

It hadn’t worked - hadn’t mattered. Keith had ended up smiling too.

 

Keith flips the photo over to see if Shiro had written a date or a note on the back, knowing his boyfriend is sentimental like that. He’s right about there being a note, he just isn’t expecting what it says.

 _Go to the place where we first met_.

There’s a small heart and a smiley face next to Shiro’s slightly messy scrawl and it brings a smile, unbidden, to Keith’s face.

He’s not exactly sure what Shiro’s up to, but he returns to the bedroom to get ready anyways.

He grabs the rose and the photo, deliberating for a moment after he’s dressed, before grabbing the chocolates he’d made and hidden yesterday. He reminds himself to thank Hunk for his help as he walks out the door.

 

They didn’t meet anywhere that could be called _interesting_ really. It’s just a regular coffee shop, by all accounts, but it houses some of Keith’s fondest memories. They’d met here, back when Keith had been working part time behind the counter as a barista.

He remembers the way Shiro had started coming in regularly after their first encounter, ordering the same coffee and sandwich combination whenever he came by. Keith remembers how he’d looked forward to when he’d next get to see Shiro. He remembers when they’d become friends, on the cusp of something more, Shiro asking if they could hang out sometime when Keith _wasn’t_ at work. He remembers the light flirting they’d both traded and the way Shiro had blushed.

 _“Could I get the usual coffee, and maybe… your number?”_ Shiro had asked, tentative, but hopeful.

_“Did you still want your sandwich?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Coming right up.”_

Keith had smiled at Shiro’s blush, finding it irrevocably charming. He had scribbled his number down on a napkin and delighted in the way Shiro’s face lit up upon seeing it.

He remembers that Shiro likes his coffee black. This, however, doesn’t stop him from stepping up behind Keith in the mornings to steal his mug and sip from it. He always grimaces at the sweetness of it and Keith always laughs at him for it.

_“How do you handle that much sugar?”_

_“I’m balancing out. I’m having enough sugar for the both of us.”_

_“But baby, you’re already sweet enough!”_

_“Maybe that’s my line. Maybe_ You’re _the sweet one. Besides, I have to justify your bad taste in coffee somehow.”_

Shiro had laughed, setting the half-drained mug on the countertop and wrapping his arms around him. Keith swiveled in his arms.

_“You’re the sweetest boyfriend. My sweetie pie. My cupcake, my sugar plum.”_

_“Fight me, Takashi.”_

_“I can’t hurt my little creampuff!”_

_“Oh my god. You’re such a sappy dork.”_

Keith had swatted at him gently before leaning up that short distance to kiss him quiet.

 _“I’m_ your _sappy dork.”_

Keith had kissed him again.

 

He doesn’t find Shiro in the coffee shop like he’d expected to. He _does_ find Pidge though, sitting at the table he and Shiro favour when they come here on dates. She waves him over as soon as he steps inside as if she’d been waiting for him. As he nears, he realizes she had been. He wonders how Shiro convinced her to do this because he’s _pretty_ sure that the rose on the table in front of her isn’t from her.

“Hey, Pidge,” he says by way of greeting.

“Keith!”

“Any idea where Shiro is?”

“Yeah, but I’m not telling you,” she says, smirking.

“It’s Valentine's day, I don’t know where my boyfriend is and my partner in crime has turned against me and won’t tell. Great.” He mutters dryly. This gets him a snort from Pidge and he smiles, taking a seat across from her.

“I’d tell, but Shiro already bought my silence,” she says, taking a sip of her coffee.

“No you wouldn’t.”

“I mean, you’re right, but Shiro made sure of it anyways.” She slides an envelope towards him and then places the rose that had been lying on the table, almost forgotten, in front of him. She smiles. “I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise anyways. Not this one.”

Leveling her with a curious look, he picks up the envelope and opens it. There isn’t much in it apart from another photo. This one is a picture of him and Shiro with Shiro’s family. They're sitting beside each other in the photo, Shiro with an arm wrapped around Keith’s waist, holding him close. On Keith’s other side is Shiro’s older sister and Shiro’s parents sit to the side on another couch. There are a number of others in the photo, all Shiro’s relatives, in various places on the couches and floor of Shiro’s living room.

The fact that the photo had been taken in such a way that put himself and Shiro in the center is not lost on him. He’s surrounded by loved ones - by family. They had accepted him and treated him like one of their own. As far as they had been concerned, he’d been one of them from the day Shiro had introduced him to them.

_“Is it too late to change my mind and just… not do this right now?”_

He had known it was too late - they were already there - but the nervousness had been hard to quell. Shiro’s face had softened when he turned to Keith in the front seat of their car, taking his hand and squeezing it reassuringly, stroking a thumb over his knuckles.

_“Baby, relax. It’s going to be okay.”_

_“You don’t know that.”_

_“Well, I know you. And I know them.”_

_“So?”_

_“So I know that they’re going to love you. Frankly, I think the greatest obstacle of the day will be convincing them to let you leave later.”_

Keith had laughed, in spite of the situation, and Shiro had pressed a quick kiss just to the side of his nose.

_“Ready?”_

_“As I’ll ever be.”_

Shiro had been right, of course, and they’d welcomed him into the house with open, loving arms. It had been noisy and crowded, as expected from a get-together, and everything Keith hadn’t known he’d wanted.

He hadn’t been sure what to expect when Shiro’s sister approached him, though.

_“So what did my baby brother do to convince you to date him?”_

_“Hey!”_ Shiro had protested, indignant, but smile still perched persistently on his face.

In the end Keith had been saved from having to respond when Shiro had shooed her away.

Still he hadn’t been able to quite hide his amusement when some of Shiro’s nieces, nephews and younger cousins asked them, with all the innocence of youth, _“are you guys married?”_

It had been embarrassing, but also adorable when they started complaining to Shiro about how they hadn’t been invited to the wedding that hadn’t taken place.

_“You weren’t invited because we aren’t married yet.”_

It was the “yet” that had ultimately left Keith flustered. Flustered, but inexplicably happy.

Needless to say, he hadn’t really had to worry at all.

 

He doesn’t want to know what his face is doing as he looks at the photo, but he’s sure his face is doing something because Pidge snorts at him again.

“You guys have it so bad for each other. Gross,” she says fondly.

“I guess we do.”

“Wow, not even gonna deny it, huh?” She pats the hand resting in front of him on the table. “Do me a favour and get married already, alright?”

The idea of marrying Shiro sets butterflies free in his stomach, but it’s not a bad feeling. They’ve been together for so long by now that the idea of a future without each other just hadn’t crossed either of their minds. He isn’t sure why they have yet to make it official, even though they’ve already moved in together, but it isn’t as if they’re in any rush. Still, the idea of making it official is enough to make Keith feel a little giddy.

He doesn’t say any of that out loud though.

“We’ll see,” he says instead.

“Well, you better get going, huh?” Pidge gestures to the back of the photograph and Keith turns it over.

_The place we first hung out together._

That, in addition to the excessive amount of hearts, makes him chuckle because the place they first hung out, after days of texting and phone calls and mismatched schedules, is not at all romantic.

Well, he supposes it has sentimental value, at least.

He tucks the photo back into the envelope neatly and he and Pidge take their leave. He offers her a parting wave as he heads back towards his car, placing the rose with its twin across the passenger seat. He tucks the first photo into the envelope and heads to his next destination.

 

For all intents and purposes, it’s a burger joint, plain and simple. Still, it’d been a good place to go to when either he or Shiro had been craving something greasy. He remembers Shiro inviting him to get a bite to eat, his treat. Keith, not willing to turn down free food or Shiro’s company, had agreed easily.

He had been stealing fries discreetly from Shiro’s tray, just to see if Shiro would notice. Shiro had been surprised when he reached for a fry and there hadn’t been any left. This had sent Keith into a small fit of giggles.

_“What’s so funny?”_

_“Nothing.”_

_“Wh- it was you! You little thief!”_

The accusation had Keith grinning widely. Naturally, Shiro had responded by stealing Keith’s drink.

Keith remembers ketchup drinking contests that, eventually, put them off of ketchup for a while. He remembers making a face when Shiro had drained a ketchup packet and then another just to prove a point.

 _“Gross, Shiro,”_ He’d said, groaning in mock disgust.

_“But I still won.”_

_“I’m swooning,”_ Keith had deadpanned.

_“I knew that’d work.”_

Keith had rolled his eyes, though he’d been smiling.

 

They don’t come back often, if only because, upon moving in together, Hunk had insisted on teaching Keith to cook because “Shiro is a kitchen _disaster._ ”

He doesn’t ask _what_ exactly Shiro did to earn the shudder that courses through Hunk as he relives the memory.

It’s yet another thing he has to thank Hunk for. They all know that Hunk is as excellent a cook as he is a mechanic, which is to say that he’s an incredible cook. There’s really no better person to learn from and, even though Keith isn’t an amazing cook by any means, he’s thankful to Hunk for the way Shiro smiles at him over dinner.

There’s something about the way Shiro digs in so eagerly to eat just because it’s Keith’s cooking. There’s something about how he lights up when he sees Keith wearing that dumb apron he brought home one day that says ‘ _kiss the cook_ ’.

Keith doesn’t tell Shiro how happy it makes him, nor does he tell Shiro that he secretly likes the apron because Shiro always follows through and kisses him.

He thinks Shiro probably already knows anyways.

 

Matt enthusiastically waves Keith over when he spots him, sitting at a table with some food, an envelope and another rose. He wonders if Shiro’s money had paid for the meal as a bribe. _Incentive_ , Shiro would have corrected with a smile.

“Keith!” He isn’t sure if Matt is more excited than usual. He can’t tell.

“I just saw Pidge a little bit ago,” Keith comments as he sits down.

“Yep. Shiro’s covering her coffee needs for the day.”

“She’s gonna take advantage of that,” Keith points out.

“Oh, absolutely.” Matt grins in a way that’s incredibly reminiscent of his sister.

“Hope it’s worth it.”

“I think it will be,” Matt says confidently, sliding the envelope and rose over to Keith.

Keith is sure that this is maybe one of Shiro’s sappier date plans, though he isn’t sure what exactly he’s expecting. He opens the envelope, knowing what to expect from that, at least.

This one is a selfie Shiro had convinced Keith to take with him on the couch.

_“Why do you want a selfie together anyways?”_

_“I’m gonna send it to my mom.”_

_“Why?”_

_“She complained that she doesn’t have enough pictures of you. I’d have to say I agree. There is an appalling lack of photos of you in this house.”_

_“You get to see me every day.”_

_“Maybe I want a picture I can put in my wallet too.”_

_“Your wallet?”_

_“Yeah. That way whenever I’m not home I can still see my adorable boyfriend’s face.”_

Keith had pretended to gag, but he let Shiro pull him down onto the couch anyways, seated in the space between Shiro’s legs.

_“Don’t give me that. I know you keep that selfie I took on your phone as your wallpaper.”_

_“Snooping now, are you?”_

_“Nope. I guessed, but I can tell that I’m right.”_

_“So what if you are?”_

_“Selfie?”_ Shiro had asked instead of answering.

Keith had grumbled, but leaned back against Shiro all the same, smiling for the photo.

He still thinks that he looks awkward in the photo. He knows Shiro still keeps the photo in his wallet anyways.

 

“You _love_ him,” Matt says teasingly. Keith blushes, but doesn’t respond. They both know it’s true.

Keith flips the photo over and laughs at the messy doodle of a cat with hearts for eyes below the note.

_The place you took me on our first date ._

He remembers their first date fairly well, mostly because he’d spent a lot of time stressing over whether Shiro would like it or not. Pidge had promptly told him he was being ridiculous.

He quickly bids Matt a goodbye, and heads back to the car, rose and photo added to the growing pile on the passenger seat.

 

Their first date hadn’t been anything particularly outstanding, he thinks, pulling up to the park. Just some time spent together, fresh air and a picnic. Keith recalls cutting crusts off sandwiches, because Shiro doesn’t like crusts, and wondering whether mac and cheese was appropriate picnic food.

He had brought some anyways because Shiro loves mac and cheese.

Keith remembers sitting under the shade of a tree with a bag of snacks and food and a blanket beneath him, feeling stupid sitting there alone and worrying that Shiro, for whatever reason, wouldn’t show up.

Then Shiro _had_ showed up, looking unfairly handsome and smiling as he approached, taking in the sight before him. Keith had fidgeted, but forced himself to maintain eye contact as he stood up. He’d reached for Shiro’s hand and Shiro had given it easily, allowing Keith to lead him the rest of the way.

_“A picnic?”_

_“Yeah. I made sandwiches.”_

_“No crusts?”_

_“No crusts.”_

_“A man after my own heart.”_

Then Keith had placed the container of mac and cheese in front of Shiro and Shiro had lit up like a Christmas tree. It was adorable and oh so charming and Keith was suddenly grateful that he’d decided to bring some.

None of the food was outstanding, by any means - Keith hadn’t been able to cook very much at the time - but they had been edible and they had still been enough to put that smile on Shiro’s face. That smile that looked fond and warm and was directed only at him.

_“Mac and cheese too? Marry me.”_

Keith had laughed at that and shoved at Shiro’s shoulder playfully.

 _“Try asking me again in a few years,”_ Keith had joked.

They had gone on a walk after that, hands brushing until Shiro linked their little fingers. Eventually all the small children had gone home with their parents and Shiro had turned to him, childish delight in his eyes.

_“Want me to push you on the swings?”_

Keith had smiled.

_“Obviously.”_

Eventually, Shiro had taken the swing next to him and they’d competed to see who could swing higher. Then, they had competed to see who could go furthest after jumping.

Keith will insist to his dying breath that he’d _definitely_ swung higher.

_“Alright, Flyboy, but I jumped further.”_

_“You did_ not! _”_

_“The lady doth protests too much, methinks.”_

_“Shiro!”_

 

Keith spots Lance sitting on one of the nearby park benches.

“You made it! I was starting to think you got lost,” Lance teases.

“Why would I get lost?”

“It’s a joke, Keith, we’re supposed to laugh and- you know what, never mind.” Keith sits down on the bench. “Still, a park for your first date, huh?”

“Yeah, what about it?” Keith asks, feeling himself get defensive.

“Suits you.” Lance hands him an envelope and a rose, deliberately raising his voice as he says, “here, from Shiro.”

Keith rolls his eyes at him. “Is that really necessary?”

“Can’t have people getting the wrong idea, man. You know Hunk is my one and only.”

“Obviously. You couldn’t hide the way you look at him if you tried. Are you guys ever tying the knot?”

“Of course we are. I’ve just gotta figure out how to propose…”

“Wow, congrats,” Keith says genuinely, eyebrows raised. He’ll be happy for them if they finally get engaged after all this time.

“What about you and Shiro? It’s been, what, three years?”

“Four.”

“Man, time flies. As good a time as any, though, isn’t it?”

“You might be right.”

“Damn. Where’s Pidge when you need her. There’s nobody around to record this momentous occasion in history!” Lance complains.

“That’s why I said it,” Keith smirks. “Nobody will ever believe you.”

He opens the envelope while Lance squawks. The picture inside is of himself and Shiro, hand in hand, walking along the beach. He idly wonders how many pictures their friends and family had managed to take of them without their knowledge. He’s never seen this one before.

It had been Lance’s idea to take a trip to the beach. Keith remembers spending a lot of time relaxing with Shiro underneath a beach umbrella. He remembers the feel of Shiro’s hands on his back as Shiro helped him put on sunscreen. He remembers the way Shiro’s muscles had felt beneath his hands as he did the same.

Eventually Pidge and Lance had pulled Shiro away to play in the water. Keith had not been surprised when, later, Shiro found himself buried beneath the sand as Pidge and Lance piled it on top of him.

When Keith walked up to them to see the expression on Shiro’s face, Shiro had looked up and quirked an upside-down smile at him.

 _“Can you please unearth me so I can take a walk with my boyfriend?”_ Shiro had asked.

With a groan, Pidge had agreed. Lance had grumbled about _“stupid boyfriends, ruining all our hard work.”_

 _“We were going to a build a sandcastle on top of you,”_ Pidge had said.

Later, Shiro had taken Keith’s hand and led him down the beach, water lapping at their ankles as bare feet sunk into wet sand. Keith frowned at the feeling of it.

_“This is nice.”_

_“I’m going to be finding sand in places I never knew sand could go.”_

Shiro had laughed at that and Keith had felt the corner of his own mouth quirk up in response.

_“I guess so, but it’s still pretty nice.”_

_“Sure, Shiro. Whatever you say.”_

 

“So what’s your next destination?” Lance asks, jarring Keith from the memory. Keith turns the photo over and smiles. There’s a heart with an arrow through it, just like the ones small children draw in their school notes around this time of year.

_The place you first kissed me._

“First kiss?” Lance asks, peering over Keith’s shoulder. “Wait, you kissed him first?”

“So what if I did?”

“All this time I thought it’d been Shiro. Damn it.”

“You lost a bet, didn’t you?”

“Don’t you dare tell Pidge and Allura. Keith, I know that smile- don’t you _dare_!”

Keith leaves Lance on the bench, laughing quietly to himself as he goes.

 

There’s only the subtle smell of old books when Keith enters. He likes it here. It’s peaceful and blissfully quiet the way all libraries tend to be.

He supposes that, that’s probably a big factor as to why their first kiss had happened here.

He remembers looking through the aisles for books that looked like something Shiro would have read. Shiro had been over in another aisle doing the same for Keith. It was their attempt at trying to find new reading material.

Keith had been fondly amused when he’d joined up with Shiro again to find a bunch of different books, ranging from comics, to mystery novels, to fantasy.

Keith’s pile for Shiro had been no better. Still, he’d quirked an eyebrow and Shiro had smiled charmingly, unabashed and bright.

Keith had wanted to feel that smile against his lips.

It was so quiet it had been easy to forget that there were other people around. Still, he’d lifted a book from the top of the pile beside them on the shelf, raising it to cover them from any prying eyes, as he leaned forward to kiss Shiro.

He remembers the way Shiro had stilled before immediately melting into the touch, a hand coming up to cup Keith’s cheek.

 _“What was that for?”_ Shiro had asked, breathless, after they pulled apart.

 _“No reason. I just wanted to,”_ Keith had admitted.

_“Is it okay if I want to do it again?”_

_“Please.”_

 

He spots Hunk immediately, sitting on the couches reading.

“Hey, Hunk,” Keith greets. Hunk looks up from his book and grins as Keith sits down.

“Hey there, buddy. I’m sure you know how this goes by now so here,” Hunk says, handing Keith another envelope and rose.

“Yeah. Shiro really thought today through, huh?”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Hunk tells him. “He’s been thinking about today for the longest time.”

“That doesn’t surprise me, the sap,” Keith says. He’s only slightly surprised by how warmly the words come out.

“I’m happy for you guys,” Hunk says. “It’s been a long time.”

“It has,” Keith agrees. It’s harder to remember how things had been before Shiro, his memory overwhelmed with the fond moments that had come after. “You going to meet up with Lance after this? I just saw him.”

“I know and yeah. We’re having a movie marathon tonight.”

“I’m not sure what I’m expecting, but Shiro mentioned a date night.”

“I think you won’t be disappointed,” Hunk says, patting Keith’s knee. Keith can believe that. Shiro rarely disappoints him when it matters. He’s always proven himself to be someone that won’t let Keith down if he can help it. Keith is inexplicably grateful for that.

Keith opens the envelope.

This one contains a photobooth strip of pictures. They had struck ridiculous poses, made goofy faces and held up matching peace signs. It had been easier to do it since Shiro made him feel so comfortable.

He smiles when he looks at the last picture.

They’d decided to keep this one simple, just a smile, but just as the photo was taken, Shiro had turned Keith’s face to kiss him.

 _“They’re cute,”_ Shiro had said as they looked at the photos.

_“Yeah.”_

_“Especially that last one.”_

Keith remembers feeling his heart melt.

 _“Yeah,”_ he’d repeated softly.

 

“You should get going,” Hunk says, gesturing at the words on the strip.

_The place you told me you loved me._

“I should,” Keith agrees. They both get up, but Keith stops Hunk before he can go. “Hunk?”

“What’s up?”

“Thanks for everything.” Keith knows Hunk knows what he means, even if Keith is only using so many words.

“No problem,” Hunk says with a smile, patting Keith’s arm. “Now let’s get out of here.”

 

Keith almost wants to laugh at how predictable the place he’d confessed his love for Shiro is. He pulls up to the family restaurant he’d taken Shiro to, nothing too fancy, but nice enough.

They’d gone one morning for pancakes and eggs and bacon. Breakfast had been something of a syrupy mess with Keith drowning his plate and syrup dripping from Shiro’s pancake, down his fork and onto his hand.

 _“Babe, you’re making a mess,”_ Shiro had said.

_“But there’s no mess? Unless you mean my plate, but-”_

_“No, I mean...”_ Shiro had laughed and reached forward with a napkin, wiping at the syrup that had made it’s home on Keith’s cheek and chin.

Keith had been hit by the sudden revelation that this was his life now and he was so, so _happy._ Shiro cared about him. Shiro had always been there for him and supported him. Keith could look at Shiro and believe that he wasn’t going to leave.

 _“Is something wrong?”_ Shiro had asked, noticing Keith’s silence.

 _“I love you,”_ Keith had blurted out in response.

Shiro had looked surprised, before he placed the napkin back onto the table. He’d reached for Keith’s hand.

_“I love you too, Keith.”_

The grin that had overtaken Keith’s face was a slow and gradual thing, but big and bright. Shiro’s lips had turned up to match.

 _“Your fingers are sticky,”_ Keith had said.

_“I guess that means you’re stuck with me.”_

_"I think I'd be okay with that."_

 

Allura approaches his car once he’s parked and he wonders if she’d been waiting around for very long.

“Keith!” she greets as he exits the car.

“Hey, Allura.” She pulls him in for a brief, one-armed hug. “Happy Valentine’s.”

“Happy Valentine’s! Speaking of Valentines, I have something for you from yours!”

“I figured,” Keith says with a smile. He gestures to the passenger seat. “I have a collection.”

She smiles at this and hands him an envelope and a rose. He’s surprised when she also hands him a small stuffed bear, holding a heart that says ‘ _I love you bear-y much!_ ’

It makes him grin in spite of himself.

“Now aren’t you two just adorable,” She coos. “You’re smiling the same way you had been when you moved in together.”

“No I’m not,” Keith argues, though it isn’t a heated retort.

“Yes you are,” she sing-songs. “Now go on! You have to find out where to go next right?”

Nodding, he opens the envelope and finds he’s excited to see what picture might be inside.

This one has a picture of Shiro and himself snuggled up beside a campfire. He wonders which one of their sneaky friends snapped the photo. His money would be on Matt.

They, along with the rest of their friends, had gone on a short camping trip, crammed into two cars and driving out of the city to the campground they were going to spend the weekend at.

 _“It’s not real camping unless you’re tenting.”_ Matt had insisted. Pidge had groaned.

They had pitched four tents and, surprisingly, only struggled to put up two of them.

Lance had been ecstatic when they’d learned where they could go for a swim and Hunk had happily jumped in with him. Keith hadn’t been eager to get wet, but had joined anyways because he'd been weak to Shiro’s puppy eyes and the way Shiro had tugged at his sleeve.

It hadn’t been bad, really, and when Shiro had rubbed a towel over Keith’s hair later on, he’d been feeling pretty content.

_“You have to dry your hair properly or you’ll get sick.”_

_“Maybe I just wanted you to do it.”_

Shiro had pressed a kiss to his forehead.

_“Spoiled brat.”_

_“You still like me, though.”_

_“I like you,”_ Shiro had confirmed and Keith had felt incredibly warm.

He remembers feeling cold once night had rolled around and Shiro had pulled him into his lap. Shiro had wrapped the blanket around Keith as well and Keith had been more than happy to appropriate Shiro’s body heat.

They’d remained cuddled up that way by the fire, letting it warm them as they watched the flickering flames. The mood had settled into something soft and nostalgic. Time had seemed to slow down and Keith felt like they’d entered their own personal bubble.

 _“I love you,”_ Keith had murmured before yawning. This had prompted a laugh from Shiro.

 _“I love you too. Time to turn in?”_ Keith hadn’t done much more than nod sleepily, allowing Shiro to adjust him to better hold his weight, drifting as Shiro carried him to their tent.

He doesn’t remember falling asleep, but he does remember that he’d woken up with Shiro at his back, chasing away the cold morning's chill.

 

Keith turns the photo over and notices that there are now two cats doodled on the back, long tails making a heart around them.

_The place you showed me on our first anniversary._

“That’s sweet,” Allura comments. “Now go get him.”

Keith nods and gets back into his car, placing the rose with the growing bouquet on the seat. He waves at Allura before pulling out of his parking space and heading to what he’s guessing is his last location.

 

Keith kills the engine and fusses with his hair for a minute. He grabs the chocolates from the passenger seat and exits the car, making his way up a familiar hill. When Shiro spots him, his face splits into a smile and Keith find himself feeling winded, rendered breathless by the way Shiro looks, framed by the blue-orange-pink sky.

“Keith,” he says softly.

“Our first anniversary, huh?”

“I thought it might be nice to relive the experience. Will you watch the sunset with me?” Shiro holds out his hand as Keith nears and Keith takes it.

“Of course I will.”

They take a seat on the blanket Shiro’s set down and watch the clouds pass, the fiery oranges fading to darker blues.

“I’ve got something for you,” Keith says as their conversation tapers off.

“Oh?”

“I had some help,” Keith admits, placing the bag of chocolates on Shiro’s lap. “But I think they turned out well.”

When Keith brings his eyes up from the bag to Shiro’s face, he sees nothing but warm surprise and blatant adoration and it makes his stomach swoop.

“Thank you,” Shiro says, so genuinely that Keith could cry. They share the chocolates between them and Shiro insists on trying to catch some with his mouth.

In the end, they really don’t taste so bad.

“It’s been four years, huh?” Shiro says as they lie back on the blanket, the sun long hidden and the stars blinking into view. “Or I guess five if you count the time before we started dating.”

“Yeah,” Keith says.

“We’ve done a lot together.” Keith hums an agreement at that. He’s done a lot of things he never thought he would’ve thanks to Shiro. “I’m glad I got to spend all that time with you.”

When Keith turns to look at Shiro, he’s mildly surprised to find that Shiro’s already looking at him.

“Me too,” Keith says honestly, because after all the reminiscing he’d done today, he’s feeling sappy and sentimental. He’s grateful that Shiro had waltzed into his life. He’s already having a hard time picturing anything else.

“You’ve given me a lot of firsts,” Shiro says, sitting up and twisting to look at Keith properly. Keith sits up as well and matches Shiro when he shifts to face him. “I wanted to do something special for you too.”

“Today was pretty special,” Keith says. “Even if I had to do a lot of driving around.”

“Sorry about that,” Shiro says with a laugh.

“Don’t be. Hunk told me you put a lot of thought into today. I can tell.”

“I wanted to give you something.”

“There’s more?” Keith finds this surprising because, really, everything had been more than enough.

“You make me happy, Keith,” Shiro says. “I wanted you to know how glad I am to have met you. Waking up next to you, getting to see you every day. Keith, you make me _happy._ ”

“I feel the same,” Keith starts, but Shiro is quick to kiss him quiet.

“I wanted to ask you something,” Shiro murmurs, forehead pressed to Keith’s own. Keith nods.

“Go for it.” Keith would be embarrassed by how breathless he sounds if he weren’t distracted by the fact that Shiro’s pulling back and shifting until he’s knelt in front of him.

“Will you marry me?” There’s a ring in Shiro’s hand and suddenly everything clicks into place like puzzle pieces, an image coming into focus with startling clarity. Everything the others had said. Everything Shiro is saying. It all makes sense and it feels so, exceptionally _right._

Keith drowns his laughter against Shiro’s mouth and feels the way Shiro smiles too.

“I love you, Takashi,” Keith says. “ _I’d love to._ ”

When Shiro slips the ring on his finger, Keith thinks, he wouldn’t have it, any of it, any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> at first i thought this fic was going to be 2k tops and then i got really really carried away omg
> 
> happy valentines everyone!


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